Ohio State is in the midst of its most successful stretch ever against the Michigan Wolverines' football program, having won eight in a row in the series and 15 of the past 16. The run the Buckeyes are on has made life miserable for U-M fans, but it's important to remember how often not only this series, but some of college football's best, have run in streaks over the years.
The script was flipped in the Michigan/Ohio State series during OSU head coach John Cooper's tenure from 1988-2000, with the Wolverines posting a 10-2-1 record against a Buckeye program that was borderline elite during the second half of Cooper's reign.
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In a six-year span from 1993-98, OSU enjoyed three different one-loss seasons, while dropping only two games in 1995. U-M handed Ohio State its only loss in both 1993 and 1996, while giving the Buckeyes one of their two defeats in 1995.
Michigan's reign of consistent success began prior to Cooper's arrival though, with former Wolverine head coach Bo Schembechler concluding his tenure on a high note in The Game.
From 1985-2000, Michigan went 12-3-1 against OSU, including a 7-1-1 mark from 1985-93. The rivalry was on more even footing during the 1970s and first half of the '80s, with OSU holding a slim 8-6-1 advantage from 1970-84.
Ohio State had the upper hand in the series during the late '50s and 1960s, in what was a dark time for Michigan football. Head coach Bennie Oosterbaan concluded his U-M tenure with a 5-3-1 season in 1957 and a 2-6-1 mark in 1958, before Bump Elliott endured seven four-loss (or more) seasons during his 10 years on the job from 1959-68.
Michigan dominated the rivalry from the late '30s through the early '50s though, going 10-2-2 against Ohio State from 1938-51. This era served as a bit of a heyday for the Wolverines, with the club winning back-to-back national titles in 1947 and 1948 under head coaches Fritz Crisler and Oosterbaan, respectively.
Additionally, Crisler's squads lost one or fewer games five times during his 10 years on the job from 1938-47.
The earliest portion of the rivalry's history was owned by the Maize and Blue as well. U-M won 13 of the first 15 matchups against OSU from 1897-1918, with the lone two games it didn't win resulting in ties in 1900 and 1910.
Domination was the name of the game for the Wolverines in that era, with Michigan shutting out the Buckeyes in 10 of the 13 victories, highlighted by an 86-0 triumph in 1902. Ohio State didn't grab its first win in the series until the 16th matchup, coming out on top 13-3 in 1919.
OSU then enjoyed a quick three-game winning streak from 1919-21, before U-M once again ripped off six consecutive victories from 1922-27. The series sat in Michigan's favor at 19-3-2 following the 1927 matchup.
Stretches of dominance aren't just unique to the Michigan/Ohio State series, but to several of the sport's best rivalries. We've taken a closer look at four other matchups that are always near the top of "college football's greatest rivalries" discussion — Florida vs. Florida State, Alabama vs. Auburn, Texas vs. Oklahoma and Notre Dame vs. USC.
Each matchup has seen significant stretches of dominance by at least one side in recent memory, with "recent memory" in this case being defined as 1970 on. In the rivalry pitting the Gators against the Seminoles, Florida enjoyed a nine-game winning streak from 1968-76, while also taking seven out of nine in the series from 2001-09.
FSU has endured successful stretches as well (especially lately), coming out on top in seven of the eight meetings from 2010-17. The storyline has been much of the same in the Alabama/Auburn series, with the Crimson Tide winning nine in a row from 1973-81.
Auburn, on the other hand, took six consecutive games from Alabama from 2002-07. The Texas/Oklahoma showdown fits the narrative as well. The Longhorns came away with victories eight times in an 11-year span from 1989-99, while the Sooners are currently in the midst of a victorious stretch of their own, having gone 9-3 against Texas since 2010.
The USC/Notre Dame series, meanwhile, has seen the most lopsided stretches of the bunch. The Trojans won 11 out of 13 matchups from 1970-82, while the Irish followed it up with an 11-game victorious stretch from 1983-93.
USC also won eight in a row from 2002-09.
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